Chapter Eleven #2
“We’ll work on that,” Daniel says with a grimace, turning the smack into an awkward head pat. I really hope they don’t air that.
“So, how does it feel to finish your first challenge in hell together as a couple?” Dawn Taylor asks.
“It feels amazing,” Daniel says, smoothly sliding into his interview voice. “I’m so glad I could step up for Alice and be the kind of partner that she deserves. We might be the newest couple here, but I think we showed everyone that we’re a force to be reckoned with.”
“A force of love,” I add. “Because we’re lovers.” Off to the side, Leah smacks her forehead with her hand. We’re spared having to elaborate more on our fake relationship when the next couple finishes.
“Done! We’re done!” Mikayla calls out, waving Dawn Taylor over.
Trevor lets out a wet burp, but he’s able to open his mouth and prove that the cow eye has gone down. The two of them slide into their postcompetition soundbites without missing a beat.
“We really just wanted to do this for all of our followers watching along at home and rooting for us,” Mikayla says.
“Yeah, we never want to let our fans down,” Trevor adds. “Hashtag Trekayla, hashtag couples of Instagram, hashtag Dawn Tay’s Inferno ! Get into it!”
Chase and Selena finish next. They celebrate by leaping into a chest bump. Chase asks for shots to celebrate, which Dawn Taylor absolutely loves and a PA immediately provides.
Brittany and Jaxon finish next, and right after them, Dominic and Zya raise their hands and roar like gladiators in the Colosseum.
“Yeah! That’s how it’s done!” Dominic shouts over Zya’s hoots.
Then it’s down to Tarun and Kendall versus Firefly and Bacon.
“We’ve got this,” Bacon says. He pounds the table as he chews the cow eye.
“ You’ve got this,” Firefly replies, rubbing his shoulders. “Remember when our ice chest got a crack in it at Burning Man, and we lost all our food and we ended up eating that unflavored whey protein for three days? This is just like that!”
Kendall is struggling through the cake. “This is a culinary atrocity.”
“Would you rather be eating the raw cow eye?” Tarun shouts back at her, holding up his plate.
Kendall looks at the half-eaten mess he’s left. “You said you had it handled !”
“I did, but I—” Tarun tries to finish, but nothing comes out.
Or rather, no words come out.
Instead, he clutches at his stomach briefly, and then half a cow’s eye erupts out of his mouth and plops onto the sand.
“Ohmygod!” Brittany says, jumping back to avoid it.
Jaxon isn’t as lucky, and some of the eye splatters onto his boot. “Shit,” he chokes out, and then he dry-heaves once before projectile vomiting.
“Selena? Babe?” Chase says behind me. There’s a sheen of sweat on Selena’s luminous golden skin, and she’s starting to turn green. Chase braces her, but he isn’t looking too hot either. Both of them start to double over, Selena gripping the table’s edge and Chase stumbling next to her.
“Make sure you get this!” Dawn Taylor yells, pointing a cameraperson to our table.
The threat of Chase and Selena joining Jaxon and Tarun in this impromptu group activity is enough to send everyone scattering.
Ava and Noah are trying to make their escape when Selena hurls directly in their path, bits of the Gluttony Challenge splashing all over their Birkenstocks.
“Ew, ew, ew!” Ava moans.
“Hey, get over here and start cleaning!” Bryan shouts at the PAs. They race to grab cleaning supplies—all except for one.
“Anton, you’ve got to help too,” Freya says, prodding him.
“No way. I didn’t sign up for being on the cleanup crew,” he says with a laugh.
“Seriously, you’re not going to help us out?” Noah asks, gesturing from Anton to himself and Ava. “This is your chance to step up and show your bosses that you’re good in a crisis. People remember that kind of thing when it’s time for promotions or bonuses.”
“Nah, I’m good here,” Anton says. He pats one of the PAs on the shoulder as he leaves. “Have fun, buddy.”
The PA he ditched mutters, just loud enough that I catch it, “Fuckin’ asshole.”
“Alice, you need to get out of here,” Daniel says urgently. He shuts his eyes as if he’s in pain.
“What’s happening? Are you feeling sick, too?”
He nods. “It’s not going to be pretty. Go save yourself.”
The thought is tempting, but Daniel looks so miserable. And we’re a team—I mean, we shook on it. I can’t leave him here to barf on camera.
“Come on, we’re going,” I say.
I take his hand. He really must not be feeling well, because he doesn’t put up a fight as I steer him back toward the villa. In the chaos, no one tries to stop us.
We’ve gone another few yards when he pulls back.
“I can’t take another step,” he says.
“Good thing you don’t have to.” I point at the trash can I’ve led him to, not too far from the catering tent. After I nudge the trash can closer to Daniel, I stand in front of it to shield him from camera view. Then I politely study a palm tree a few feet away and ignore anything I hear for the next couple of minutes.
When I turn back around, Daniel is releasing a breath slowly out through his mouth.
“Better?” I ask.
He winces. “Sort of. Should we go back? They technically haven’t cleared us to leave.”
“It’s fine. The challenge is over. I’m guessing Tarun and Kendall are probably going home,” I say. “And you look awful.”
Daniel chuckles. “Thanks, Slayer. You really know how to make a guy feel special.”
“You need to rest,” I say, taking his arm. “Everything else is secondary.”
We make our way back to the suite. Once inside, I push him toward the bed.
“Go lie down,” I say.
“Whatever you say,” he says, crawling into bed.
“It’s so weird that you’re just listening to me,” I say. “Maybe you should have food poisoning more often.”
Daniel just groans into the comforter. I try to think of what might help him recover, but I don’t have any of my usual go-to’s with me. Back home, I’d have peppermint tea or ginger candies on hand.
Chase liked to tease me whenever I popped a ginger candy. Unlike me, he never got stomachaches or had trouble with nausea. He can clear out leftovers from our fridge that have been hanging out in the back for over a month. I’ve seen him eat old gas station sushi and potato salad that’s been sitting out in the sun without a problem. He has an iron stomach. But somehow he’s the one throwing up and I’m the one who’s completely fine.
I take a seat on the bed beside Daniel. It’s strange to see him like this. I’m used to seeing him at his best—handsome, charming, and way too smug for my liking. But right now, he looks unguarded, vulnerable. His hair falls across his forehead, and without thinking, I brush it away gently.
I draw my hand back when he cracks one eye open at me. “Sorry,” I say.
“No, it’s nice. I like it,” he mumbles. “I was just surprised.”
“That I can be nice?”
“That you can be nice to me ,” he clarifies. “I always got the impression you hated me.”
I roll my eyes. “Don’t be dramatic. I don’t hate you.”
“Your exact words to me at District Finals were ‘I hate you,’?” Daniel reminds me.
“I can’t be held accountable for the things I said as a teen,” I retort. “And don’t lie, you hated me, too.”
“No, I—” He closes his eyes, searching for the right word. “I never hated you. Sure, I was annoyed that I kept losing to you—”
“Damn right.”
“But I think, more than anything, I was in awe of you.” Daniel flips over to face me. “You rolled into Quiz Bowl like it was your job to take me out.”
Had I done that? I know I was going through some pretty bad times back then, and all I’d wanted to do was push my feelings down so far that they ceased to exist. And the way to do that was to focus on competing.
“So what?” I say. “That’s why I was there. To win.”
“It’s not like I wasn’t there to win,” Daniel says.
“You sure? Because you always seemed like you could take it or leave it. Like you could brush off any loss.”
“Maybe I just had a better poker face,” Daniel says. “Seriously, I want to know. Why did you hate me, specifically?”
He’s clearly not going to give up on this—and now that we’re on the same team, I feel like just maybe, it wouldn’t hurt to tell him the truth.
“It’s because I had to give up everything to win. I spent all my time studying. I didn’t go to school dances. I didn’t hang out with my friends after school. I didn’t have hobbies. All I had was Quiz Bowl, and Speech and Debate, and Mock Trial.”
“Don’t forget Science Fair.”
“And Science Fair,” I add. “I had to try so hard. But you—you did it without breaking a sweat. You had everything. Friends. A life. Two parents.” I don’t mean to let that last part slip out, and I put a hand up to my mouth as though I can catch the words and cram them back in.
“Yeah?” Daniel’s voice is soft, understanding. It’s hard to put up a defense to it.
I find myself continuing. “My dad left the summer before I met you,” I say, closing my eyes. The sharp edge I felt in the time directly after has long dulled, but the words still hurt.
“Ah,” he says quietly. “I can see how I’d be annoying to you, when you were going through all that.”
“The great Daniel Midas Cho admits that he can be annoying?” I laugh.
He winces at the nickname, like it’s a sharp jab.
“Happy now? I answered your question.” I lift the corner of a blanket and drape it over him. “Now rest.”
“Mm” is the only thing he says, his eyes shuttering closed. After a minute or two, his breathing evens out.
Now that he’s asleep, I leap off the bed and pace around the room, mapping out my priorities for the rest of the afternoon. At the very least, I need to find some Gatorade for Daniel. After this morning, he’s going to need the electrolytes.
The villa is unusually quiet as I search for the kitchen. There must be one in this sprawling mansion—the catering has to come from somewhere. When I find it, I head straight for the sleek, industrial-sized fridge. It’s fully stocked, but only with alcohol—not a bottle of water or Gatorade in sight.
I sigh and shut the fridge door. If I’m going to get Daniel something that’ll help hydrate him, it’s not going to be from here.
I turn around and nearly collide with Chase.
“Whoa!” he says, steadying me before I fall over. He’s still looking a little green, but he’s upright at least.
“Oh, hey,” I say casually. I try to lean against the wall, also casually. I’m so casual right now and absolutely not hurt that the guy I dated for three years backstabbed me on television. But when Chase sways on his feet, I ask, “Are you okay?”
“Babe. I mean, Alice. I feel terrible about what happened. I mean, I also feel terrible from puking about twenty times, but I feel even worse about what happened with us,” he says, and as much as I want to cast him as the villain of my story, I can tell that he means it.
I’d planned to be calm and collected around Chase, to pretend like I didn’t care. But now that I’m alone with him, the words tumble out of me. “Why. God, why , Chase? Why would you do this to me?”
Chase winces like I sucker-punched him. “I don’t know. I didn’t mean to. I know it isn’t an excuse, but I was just so drunk. Bryan kept taking shots with me, and he was asking me all these questions about—” He looks away from me.
“About what, Chase?”
“About our relationship! Okay? He was saying all this stuff about how he couldn’t believe we were together. That you’ve got your life together and I’m kind of a fuckup.”
“He said that about you?” I say, shocked.
“I mean, he didn’t call me a fuckup, but I could tell that’s what he meant.” He smiles sadly. “I bet that’s what you think of me, too.”
“I don’t—” I shake my head. “I don’t think of you as a fuckup.” But then I’m remembering all the times I’ve had to pay Chase’s credit card bills for him, and how I had to explain the concept of jury duty to him after I realized he’d been recycling his summonses. It’s like he doesn’t live in the real world. And normally, that would have consequences. But I was always there to cover for him. Maybe Chase isn’t a fuckup, but I’d always felt he relied on me more than I was able to rely on him.
Chase says, “It’s okay, Alice. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that I was lucky to have you in my corner. I know you cared about me. But I don’t think you’ve ever really taken me seriously—I mean, I don’t even take myself seriously—but you’re a serious person. So is Daniel. I’ve seen the way you and Daniel talk to each other. It’s like watching two supercomputers do space math together.”
“That’s not really a thing—”
“Exactly. Daniel probably knows that’s not really a thing too.” He sighs. “Look, I know what I did wasn’t okay.”
“It really wasn’t,” I agree.
“But I was having so much fun with Selena, and then—” Chase groans. “I wasn’t thinking.”
“I know.” That was the problem. Chase never looked before he leapt. Probably because for his whole life, his parents cleaned up after him. And then, when we started dating, I took over that role.
I remember when my mom said Chase made me complacent. I didn’t get what she meant by that, but I think I do now. When you spent your childhood translating for your parents at school, at the doctor’s office, and even at the grocery store, it’s almost second nature to take care of other people. To shoulder responsibilities that you have no business taking on. Helping Chase out had come so easily, and I’d thought that was just what being in a relationship meant. But I never felt like I could truly lean on him the way he leaned on me.
I can’t even completely blame him for it. I never asked to lean on him. It was just simpler to deal with things myself.
“I’m sorry, Alice,” Chase is saying. “You’ve done so much for me, and I was so shitty.”
“It’s fine,” I say automatically, and then correct myself. “Actually, no, it isn’t fine. But you’re just going to have to live with it. And for what it’s worth, you and Selena make a cute couple.”
Chase brightens at that. “Right? She’s so funny and hot and—”
“ Dude. ”
“Sorry.” Chase grimaces. “I get that it sounds like I’m just trying make excuses, but I really do think you and Daniel are great together. And I—” Chase’s eyes go wide. “I think I’m gonna hurl again.”
I leap out of the way as Chase charges past me, heading for the nearest bathroom.
I take a beat to recover from that conversation. We’re in a crazy situation here, and being separated from Chase feels like I’ve had my legs knocked out from under me. But after that talk, I’m starting to feel more grounded.
Focus. I still need hydration materials. I remember the war room. If there’s a place that would be fully stocked, it’s the place where Dawn Taylor and Peter Dixon have all their big meetings.
At the bottom of the stairs, I see the war room door is open, and I walk in, bypassing the conference setup for the two doors at the back of the room. The first door opens into a fancy, well-lit bathroom with shelves of expensive makeup and a floor-to-ceiling mirror. Dawn Taylor must use this for touch-ups.
The second door leads to a gigantic walk-in pantry. It’s probably bigger than some apartments in New York. I step inside, and wow, the execs have been holding out on us. There’s everything in here. It’s like if you took the entire snack aisle of a high-end grocery store and crammed it into one room. I grab some saltines and survey my drink options—there’s bottled water, ten kinds of seltzer, juice, bottled lattes, and Gatorade.
As I grab several bottles of yellow Gatorade, I hear a pair of familiar voices—Leah and someone else. Seth, I remember, Selena and Daniel’s producer before they broke up.
It sounds like they’re coming this way. Immediately I shut the pantry door as quietly as possible. Technically, no one said I couldn’t be here, but I have a feeling this place is off-limits. Both producers come into the war room, their voices growing louder.
“—hardly in a position to be acting like a saint after the shit I’ve seen you pull over the years,” Seth is saying.
“What I do to motivate my contestants is my business,” Leah says. “This time you went too far.”
“Easy, Gleeson. You think I did it just for kicks?”
“Yeah, Seth, you’re a fucking psychopath.”
“Takes one to know one.” There’s the squeak of a chair. They must be settling in. “Look, I had my marching orders. I was told it was on me to guarantee that we got some grade A vomit shots to go after the Fear Factor audience, or it’d be my job on the line. And I delivered. You’re welcome.”
“You poisoned them.”
“I put a very, very small dose of ipecac in the peppers, plus some homeopathic stuff I got off eBay. That’s it. They’ll be fine. What was I supposed to do, say no, I don’t feel like it today? I would’ve had my ass handed to me. But by all means, if you want to hold the line on ethics, step right up.”
“Whatever. You’ve made it very clear that you’ll do whatever it takes. But if you fuck with my couples again, I’ll rip your head off,” Leah says, her voice steely.
“Same goes for you, cupcake.”
“Go die in a hole.” A pause. “You got any gum?”
“Yeah, it’s in my locker. I left it open.”
They head out the door, shutting it behind them.
I stay in the pantry room for another minute, still reeling from what I overheard. I didn’t expect going on a reality show to be a cakewalk—Cindy and Tara had made sure that I knew what I was getting into. But poisoning the contestants? That’s so far beyond anything I expected. And it explains why Chase had thrown up, when normally he can keep down everything he eats.
Trying to win this competition with a brand-new boyfriend that just so happens to be my high school rival was daunting enough. Now I’ve got to do it with the producers going the extra mile to mess with everyone? I might have Leah in my corner, but what if Seth sets his sights on me and Daniel? What if he does whatever it takes ?
But I’m not scared—I’m mad. I’m here to win, no matter what sketchy shit the producers get up to.
—
I storm back to my room and throw open the door. A bit too late, I remember that Daniel is supposed to be sleeping, but luckily, he’s sitting up in bed, looking slightly better than before. I toss the water and Gatorade on the bed.
“Whoa, Slayer. What did the door do to you?” Daniel says. I check that the hallway is clear before I shut the door behind me.
“I just found out that that your old producer, Seth, used ipecac to poison the peppers. You know, for drama.”
“So that’s why you didn’t get sick,” Daniel says. He groans. “What the hell. Why—”
A knock at the door interrupts us. When I open it, Lex is on the other side. I can’t think why they’re here, but then I remember all the drinks I stole.
“Lex? If this is about the Gatorade, I’m sorry,” I say. “Actually, I’m not sorry. Daniel needed to rehydrate.”
Without a word, Lex reaches around me to disconnect the mic pack I’m still wearing. They do the same to Daniel. I meet Daniel’s gaze, and he shrugs.
“First of all,” Lex says, “I don’t care about the drinks you lifted from the war room. I love petty theft. Second of all, if you’re wearing a mic pack, assume that someone is listening to you.”
“But I thought they only record when we’re filming.” Even as I say this, I recall the live camera from the first night we were here, when filming had wrapped for the day and the producers had told us we were only getting our pictures taken.
“That’s a good one,” Lex laughs. “Next time, make sure to take off your mic packs before you head back to your room.”
“They can’t—” I shake my head. “Can they do that? I guess this is a reality show.”
“We signed the waivers,” Daniel says, rubbing his eyes, and Lex points at him.
“Bingo. Look, it’s not my job to babysit any of you. But I’ll tell you right now, making accusations about the producers while your mic pack is on? Not the move.”
“You heard us,” I say.
“I tapped in for a second just now,” Lex says. “It’s my job. And you’re lucky I was the one listening in, and not someone else.”
“Right, lucky,” I echo. I don’t feel lucky. “But what about Seth poisoning the cast? That’s not normal, right?”
Lex grimaces. “No, I’ve been on a lot of shows, and I’ve never seen the producers go this hard. But I can’t do anything about it, and neither can you. I’m warning you, just don’t make any trouble. It’s just not worth it.”
“But this isn’t right,” I insist. “There’s got to be someone we can talk to.” And I’d do it. When I found out that the new social studies teacher was telling students that the earth was five thousand years old and that girls should only wear skirts that hit below their ankles, I went straight to the principal and got his ass fired—which is to say, I’ve never been afraid of a fight.
But Lex doesn’t know that. They say, “I wouldn’t risk it. We may not be friends, but—”
“We could be friends,” I put in. “You’re giving us advice. That feels friendly.”
“—that doesn’t mean I want to see you get screwed over by this show,” they conclude. “Just watch your back, okay?”
Lex turns on their heel and walks out. I’m left staring at the door, still clutching a bottle of Gatorade. I can’t shake the feeling that there’s something seriously wrong here.
[INTERVIEW FOOTAGE: SOLO TALKING HEAD—DANIEL CHO, ALICE CHEN]
DANIEL CHO: It might seem sudden, Alice and me getting together, but we’re really just picking up where we left off in high school. I’ve always had so much respect and admiration for her. I guess you could say I had a huge crush on her, even back then.
[Interview footage: Solo talking head—Alice]
ALICE CHEN: In high school? I hated Daniel. The best part of my week was when I got the chance to beat him at something and wipe that smug smile off his face. Oh! But everything’s different now. I’m so happy we’re together. I mean, it’s a fine line between love and hate, right? Both such passionate feelings. Hahaha. Ha.
[Interview footage: Solo talking head—Daniel]
DANIEL CHO: Who wouldn’t like Alice? She’s smart as hell and one of the most caring people I know. And we’ve always been a good match.
[Interview footage: Solo talking head—Alice]
ALICE CHEN: Why did I fall for Daniel? Okay. I mean, he’s hot—you know he’s hot. You have eyes. He looks hot. He even sounds hot. Oh god, why did I say that? Can you cut that? No?
[Interview footage: Solo talking head—Daniel]
DANIEL CHO: I’m ready to take on anything with Alice by my side.